Canada pipeline project would benefit our economy

I am writing in response to the reader who commented on the Keystone XL pipeline in the Sunday Patriot-News (Jan. 8), accusing the Republican-controlled House of wanting to use U.S. tax dollars to pay for the project.

TransCanada owns the pipeline project, and it is estimated that it would infuse private sector investments of more than $20 billion in the U.S. economy, at no cost to U.S. taxpayers, and create about 20,000 construction and manufacturing jobs that will increase the personal income of American workers by $6.5 billion.

In addition, the project is expected to generate more than $585 million in new taxes for states and communities along the pipeline route.

Keystone XL will pay more than $5.2 billion in property taxes during the operating life of the pipeline.

At a time of record state budget deficits due to high unemployment and decreased revenues, the Keystone XL pipeline would create a welcome source of tax revenue.

Even with all of these benefits, the project sits collecting dust on President Obama's desk.

The pipeline will be built.

Canada has said that if we don’t want the oil, it will pipe it to its coastline where an energy-hungry China will be glad to take it.

It's simple.

We can import oil from a reliable, friendly neighbor or continue to import oil from volatile Middle East countries that don't like us and use the profits to finance terrorists or build nuclear weapons.